[4] She had previously been married to William Earl who died of yellow fever fighting for the British during an attack on Havana in 1762.

[5] During the War of Independence, Mary's two children from this first marriage, William and Jesse Earl, were both killed on active service.

From the age of seven to fourteen, except two months of district school in winter, Dodge was working on a farm in Hampton, Connecticut.

[1][8][9] The Mediator's Kingdom not of this World, was published in 1809; his second, War Inconsistent with the Religion of Jesus Christ, was completed in 1812, two years before the publication of Noah Worcester's Solemn Review of the Custom of War—a work that has since overshadowed Dodge's contribution.

Dodge considered forming the first peace society in 1812, but the timing was inappropriate due to the war with Great Britain.